I am a product of a public school education, from kindergarten through graduate school, with the exception of one year of catholic high school. I strongly support public education. Unfortunately, our system of public education has failed many young people and and along with it, the nation. This is most glaringly obvious in the failure of many adults to think critically and to discern fact from fiction.
One very serious problem for Maine children is reading. Two different literacy tests are administered to children, one by the federal government , the other by Maine government. The federal test results show a lower rate of literacy than the state test results. Rather than looking for solutions to improve literacy, Maine state officials blame the federal test for the lower scores. https://www.pressherald.com/2025/03/21/opinion-maines-reading-scores-a-devastating-problem-with-a-practical-solution/
Three possible solutions to improving student literacy rates include:
- Provide better reading education training for teachers and prospective teachers.
- Require teachers to be trained in science based reading instructions.
- Eliminate the state reading proficiency test and use the federal test as the basis for measuring reading proficiency.
A recent report put Maine in the bottom ten states for public education. This is an absolute disgrace. It is a huge failure of our state government. This must not continue. Here is a link:
New report ranks Maine in bottom 10 states for K-12 education
Maine’s teaching profession is in trouble. Public school teachers are leaving faster than new teachers are coming on. We definitely need to increase the minimum starting pay for public school teachers. We need to recognize their value. I support better training of teachers. Maine teacher prep programs call foul after getting F’s for how they teach reading | newscentermaine.com I also support the state paying a higher percentage of the cost of public education and commensurate greater oversight of education. While local control is important, it is more important that all Maine children have the same opportunities for learning. No child should receive a lesser education based on where he/she goes to school. It’s time to place a far greater importance on educating Maine’s children.